With the series-opening game against visiting UCF tied in the bottom of the eighth, the Seminoles catcher wasn't trying to be a hero. He wanted to save that glory for someone else. As the first hitter in the inning, he simply wanted to be the catalyst in a hopeful late-game rally that would send his team toward a fifth straight win.

He didn't get his wish.

Reacting instead to a 2-1 fastball across the inside corner, McGee launched a home run over the left-field wall that broke the tie and propelled the Seminoles to a 4-2 victory over their in-state foe. The win was FSU's 10th over a fellow Sunshine State team in 11 tries this season.

"I went up there just really trying to see the ball deep and hit the ball back up the middle," McGee said.

The home run was No. 9 FSU's (36-9) emphatic response to a UCF (26-20) charge the half-inning prior. After being kept off the scoreboard the entire night, the Knights plated a pair of runs in the top of the eighth to tie the game, 2-2.

UCF leadoff hitter JoMarcos Woods was the first to score after reaching on an infield single to begin the inning. Seven batters later, with two outs, designated hitter Erik Barber worked a full-count, bases-loaded walk to bring in catcher Chris Taladay for the tying run.

"This team has shown the ability and the confidence to continue to battle back," UCF coach Terry Rooney said. "What this team has to do now is just play the game better."

The Knights entered the series on a six-game winning streak. Just before it, they had lost 10 of their previous 13.

In addition to powering the win, McGee's home run overshadowed a pair of strong pitching performances from starters Luke Weaver and Ben Lively. Weaver, FSU's sophomore right-hander from DeLand, lasted seven innings in his second straight shutout. He also scattered six hits en route to tying a career-high nine strikeouts.

It was the fourth time this season that he had nine strikeouts in a game.

"He was electric," McGee said.

Aside from the seven runs he allowed two starts ago at Virginia, Weaver hasn't allowed more than two runs in a ballgame all season. During one 25 2/3-inning stretch earlier this season, he didn't allow a single earned run.

Lively, who entered with a 1.12 ERA, held the Seminoles to just two runs and seven hits in his six-inning outing. As has been the case all season, though, a high pitch-count was an issue once again for Lively. He threw 27 in the first, including 11 in a lengthy at-bat with FSU's D.J. Stewart.

"Ben gave us a chance," Rooney said. "But credit the Florida State hitters; they battled and that made it tougher."

Weaver admitted having such a quality opponent made him want to step up his own game.

"It's in the back of your head," he said of the impending pitcher's duel. "You know you've got to go out there and perform well each time, but when you've got a guy like Lively out there who's really good, you've got to go give a little extra because you know he's not going to give up many runs."